Jack Dawson's Luck
by ScottishRose1028
Summary: AU - An alternate version of James Cameron's Titanic - First Place winner of "After the Iceberg" Alternate Storyline Challenge. Jack Dawson and his fiancee are traveling to America on the ship of dreams - what happens when fate intercedes?
1. Chapter 1

**Jack Dawson's Luck**

An alternate version of James Cameron's _Titanic_

By Shannon R. Lloyd

Copyright 2001

**Chapter One**

(April 10, 1912 10 a.m. - Southampton, England)

"My, that's some ship!" Elizabeth Gillespie let her gaze travel up the many decks of the R. M. S. _Titanic_.

Fabrizio de Rossi let out a low whistle. "Wait til I tell Momma about it, she won'ta believe me, eh, Jack?"

Jack Dawson smiled at the pair; he could hardly believe it himself. He had purchased tickets for the S. S. _New York _but thanks to a coal strike, fate had placed him on _Titanic._

"Please come forward for the inspection queue! Have your papers ready, step this way!" An emigration official took the papers Jack handed him. After Jack, Fabrizio and Elizabeth had been examined and been cleared of any lice or disease, they were allowed to board the magnificent new ship.

"Let's see ... Lizzie, you're in G-12, and Fabri ... you and I are in G-60. Looks like we've got the whole ship between us, Lizzie." Jack smiled at his pretty fiancee, making her brown eyes sparkle.

"Now, Jack, can I trust the two of ye on your own?"

"Of course! Now let's go, huh?" Fabrizio was impatient to get to his cabin. He'd had enough of Lizzie for awhile.

"I'll see you later, Lizzie. Come on, Fabri." Jack lead the way as he and Fabrizio wove through other emigrants searching for their cabins. There was a mixture of dozens of languages, and Jack noticed how new everything was and how it all smelled of fresh paint. After he and Fabrizio settled in, they went up to the uppermost deck of steerage to watch the ship leave the dock. Hundreds of passengers crammed the railing, waving and shouting to those on the pier.

"Goodbye, I'll miss you!" Jack joyfully added his voice to the throng.

"You know somebody?" Fabrizio asked, puzzled.

"Of course not, that's not the point. Goodbye!" Jack yelled.

"Goodbye! I'll will never forget you!" Fabrizio called out to no one in particular.

Slowly, the great ship began to pull away from the pier, heading for Cherbourg, France.

* * *

12:30 p.m.

In First Class, Rose DeWitt Bukater was helping her maid, Trudy Bolt, unpack several paintings she had purchased in Paris. Her mother, Ruth, shook her head disapprovingly.

"Really, Rose. It's bad enough that you wasted money on that ... rubbish, but must you clutter up the suite with it as well?"

"Mother, they're fascinating. Like being inside a dream or something." Rose pulled a large abstract canvas out of the crate and placed it on a settee.

"What's the artist's name?" Asked Trudy, curiously.

"Something ... Picasso?" Rose read from the bottom of the canvas.

"Something Picasso? He won't amount to a thing. He won't, trust me. At least they were cheap," Ruth said to no one, as Rose led Trudy into her bedroom. Ruth gazed around Parlour Suite B-52, 54, 56 and smiled to herself. She prided herself on being able to have only the best, and she felt this time she had really outdone herself. Securing a stateroom on _Titanic_ - and the best stateroom, at that - would surely have her name in all the society pages in Philadelphia, and secure a future for her and Rose. Although her husband had left a large fortune when he died, with Ruth's passion for spending it was down to a third of what it had been. She must make sure that she and Rose would be provided for, and she had found the perfect match for Rose. Nothing was set yet, but Ruth was determined to have Rose engaged to Caledon Hockley by the summer. Even though Rose protested that she'd rather beg on the street than marry him, Rose would be grateful for Ruth's foresight, someday.

Ruth was lost in thought shen Rose re-entered the sitting room.

"Did you want to go to luncheon, Mother? We could stay here and order in if you would rather -"

"Don't be silly, Rose. Of course we will go to the Dining Saloon for luncheon. What good does it do us to be on _Titanic_ if we stay in our rooms the whole time?" Ruth checked her appearance in the mirror over the fireplace and patted a few stray hairs back into place. "We'd never be seen if we did that."

As they left their stateroom, Rose sighed, thinking to herself "why do I feel as if I'm being paraded at auction and that I'm up for sale to the highest bidder?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

(April 11, 1912 1:00 p.m. - The Irish Sea)

_Titanic_ had anchored in the Irish Sea, and the tenders were loading mail and passengers from Queenstown, Ireland before heading out into the northern Atlantic and onto New York. Fabrizio had rushed off to post a letter to his mother, and Lizzie had gone to meet her cabin mates, leaving Jack alone on deck. He decided to pull his portfolio out and wait to see if inspiration struck him.

Belowdecks, Lizzie waited anxiously for her cabin mates to arrive. She had made sure she wore her nicest dress and was smoothing her hair back, when the cabin door burst open.

"Oh! Hello, I'm Nora Hegarty ... this is G-12, right?" A lovely girl with dark auburn hair and bright green eyes smiled at Lizzie.

"Yes, it is. I'm Elizabeth Gillespie ... Lizzie. How are you?" Lizzie asked, a bit nervously.

"Grand. So where are you from? I'm from County Cork, meself ... you'll be Scottish, then?" Nora chatted as she placed her small bag on the bunk below Lizzie's.

"Yes, I'm from Edinburgh, actually." Lizzie was about to ask Nora her age when the cabin door opened again.

"Hello! I'm Maggie Devaney, and this is Katie Gilnaugh, how are you?" A rosy-cheeked girl with black hair and blue eyes came in, followed by a small blonde, blue eyed girl.

"I'm Lizzie Gillespie, nice to meet you both." Lizzie began to relax. The girls all seemed to be friendly, and close to her own age. Katie, the little blonde, looked terrified.

"Are you alright, love?" Nora asked Katie kindly.

"Yes," Katie replied in a small voice. "I'm just a wee bit nervous ... I've never been on a ship before ... or away from me home."

"I don't rightly think any of us have been," reassured Lizzie. "The ship is lovely, and it's verra quiet - hardly like bein' on a ship a'tall."

"So, where will you be off to in America, Lizzie?" Nora asked as the girls settled in.

"New York, with my fiance. We'll be headin' to Wisconsin eventually, since that's where Jack comes from."

"He's an American, then? Fancy that! You're lucky, someone to show you around." Maggie smiled. "Is he handsome?"

"He's verra nice looking. I'm hoping he'll find work once we get to New York. Jack likes to live each day one at a time, but we've got to think ahead, now that we'll be gettin' married," Lizzie said, matter-of-factly.

2:00 p.m.

_Titanic_ had hit the open sea by the time Fabrizio caught up with Jack, who was on deck, sketching a father and daughter, Bert and Cora Cartmell.

"The ship, it's nice, no?" commented Fabrizio to a lanky Irishman.

"Yeah, it's an Irish ship," the man replied.

"Is English, no?"

"Nah, fifteen thousand Irishmen built this ship - solid as a rock, big Irish hands." The three men turned to see two deckhands walking several dogs, obviously from First Class.

"Now tha's typical. First Class dogs com'n down here to take a shite!"

Jack laughed. "It let's us know where we rank in the scheme of things."

"Like we could forget?" The Irishman extended his hand. "I'm Tommy Ryan."

"Jack Dawson." Suddenly, Jack looked up to the deck above them, and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was wearing a lace dress and had the loveliest red hair, but what caught Jack's attention was how sad her eyes were. Jack didn't realize he was staring until she looked right at him. For the briefest of moments, their eyes locked, then she turned and walked away. Jack couldn't take his eyes off of her, not even gentle ribbing from Tommy and Fabrizio could break him from his trance.

"Drawin' again, Jack?" Lizzie's voice broke through the spell Jack was under.

"What?" Jack looked up at Lizzie, who had a frown on her face.

"I said I see you're drawin' again. Jack, I'd like you to meet Nora Hegarty, she's sharin' the cabin with me." Lizzie was annoyed with Jack's distance.

"Hello, Nora. Jack Dawson." Jack smiled briefly at Nora.

"My, you are a handsome mannie - Lizzie, you hardly did 'im justice!" Nora flirted.

"Jack, I waited for you come meet me like we'd agreed. I see you were ... preoccupied." Lizzie smiled coldly.

_Here we go again_, thought Jack. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. I guess we just got to talking and I lost track of the time."

"Fine then. Who's your new friend?" Lizzie put on a charming smile for Tommy, but as introductions went around, her mind wandered. She was furious, who was that girl she had seen Jack staring at? How dare he look that way at another woman! One thing was for certain, Lizzie was going to have to keep a tight rein on Jack Dawson.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

(April 12, 1912 10:00 p.m.)

Rose sat at the table, oblivious to those around her. Ruth was in her element, bragging on about Rose's education, the fine schools she had attended, and their plans for the summer. _I might as well not even be here, it's not as if _I _even matter_. Rose felt as if she were choking, the noose was getting tighter around her neck. Her mother was determined she would marry Caledon Hockley, a man not only twelve years her senior, but also hopelessly arrogant and conceited. Rose had met Cal once, at a dinner party held by the Wideners. Cal had proved true to form - a selfish, egotistical snob, and she wanted nothing to do with him. But Mother ... she was getting worried about the money running out, and felt she must secure her own position, as well as Rose's. No, Rose was doomed to become engaged to Cal and forced into marriage to a man she didn't love. Her mind was reeling as she felt Ruth escort her back to the stateroom. Rose closed her bedroom door behind her, and leaned against it, staring blankly at her reflection in the dresser mirror.

Rose had to get out of her gown and stays, they were suffocating her. Fumbling with the hooks in the back, she called out for Trudy, but in vain as she realized she would be at dinner with the other servants. Panicked, she struggled for control of herself, whimpering and struggling with the fastening of her gown. Suddenly, she let out a low, gutteral scream, tearing at her hairpins, numb to the pain. She clawed at the diamond and emerald necklace around her throat, pulling until it broke, sending jewels everywhere. She swept the dresser top of all of its contents, sending brushes, her jewelry box and her hand mirror to the floor, where it shattered. Sobbing, Rose tore open the door and ran down the corridor, running away from it all.

Jack lay on a bench on the Third Class Promenade, smoking and staring up at the sky, so full of stars it was almost blinding in its beauty. He had been there for hours, thinking on matters that weighed heavily on his mind. He had been thinking a lot lately, about himself and about Lizzie. It had all seemed so simple a few months before. He and Fabrizio had made their way from Paris to Scotland, where they had taken their last few coins and secured a room in a small public house. That's where he had found Lizzie. She had run away from home, and after trying to make it on her own and being penniless, she had been forced to become what she swore she'd never be - a prostitute. Jack felt he had to help, his heart went out to the beautiful young girl who's eyes had enchanted him so. Fabrizio had warned him, told him to be careful. But did he listen, no. He told Lizzie of his life in America, growing up on the farm, even of his parent's deaths - a story he told no one. Lizzie in turn told Jack of growing up in Edinburgh, of her cold uncle who had been her guardian since her mother had died. She told Jack of the dreams of going to University, of her talent as a pianist. But her uncle had crushed her dreams with the news of her engagement to the local vicar, who had been widowed and left with four children. Not that he was a bad man, but the news was like a death sentence to Lizzie. She ran away that night, with a few pounds and her mother's locket around her neck. Jack made a foolish decision, he asked Lizzie to marry him and to come with him and Fabrizio to America.

Now here they all were, and Jack was stuck. He had to tell Lizzie he couldn't marry her, they were too different and would only cause each other unhappiness. Jack needed someone who shared his passion for life, who could understand his need to feel free. Lizzie wanted a man who would be content holding a regular job, someone who would happily work the same job for twenty-five years, support her in the way she wanted to live. Sometimes Jack thought she should have taken her uncle's offer and married the vicar, but he always felt guilty when he did. No, Jack had to tell her it wouldn't work, he just didn't know how.

Jack was torn from his reverie by the sound of quick footsteps, clicking beads, and heartbreaking sobs. He turned to see a figure blindly rushing past him toward the stern of the ship. Not quite believing his eyes, he watched as the young woman he had seen earlier climb over the railing, and turn to face the black, endless, icy water below. He had to do something.

"Don't do it." Jack spoke, startling the young woman, who he realized was barely more than a girl.

"Stay back, don't come any closer!" Rose panicked, leaning farther out over the water.

"Come on, just give me your hand, I'll pull you back over." Jack's mind was racing, he had to get this girl back onto the safety of the ship's deck.

"No! Stay where you are! I mean it, I'll let go!" Rose's mind raced. How did she get here, so desperate she was ready to jump off _Titanic_.

Jack motioned to her that he was going to toss his cigarette off the deck. Tossing it overboard, he put his hands into his pockets and took the biggest chance of his life. "No you won't."

"What do you mean, no I won't? Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do! You don't know me!" Rose was angry now, she was sick and tired of everyone making her choices for her.

"Well, you would've done it already." Jack was stalling for time. His mind frantically searched for a solution, he had to get this girl back over the railing, and soon.

"You're distracting me, go away!"

"I can't, I'm involved now. You let go and I'm ... I'm gonna have to jump in there after you." Jack removed his coat, to show her he was serious.

"Don't be absurd, you'd be killed."

"I'm a good swimmer."

"The fall alone would kill you." Rose was trying to convince herself this was true. What if it wasn't?

"It would hurt, I'm not saying it wouldn't. Tell you the truth, I'm a lot more concerned about that water being so cold." Jack removed his boots and tried to distract the girl. Maybe if he made her realize ...

"How cold?" Despite her best effort to ignore him, Rose was intrigued.

"Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over. Ya ever ... ah ... you ever been to Wisconsin?"

Rose didn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"Well, they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid, me and my father, we went ice fishing out on Lake Wissota. Ice fishing is, you know, where ya -"

"I KNOW what ice fishing is!" Rose scoffed.

"Sorry, you just seem like ... you know ... kind of an _indoor _girl." Jack knew he had her then, he just had to keep talking. "Anyway, I uh ... I fell through some thin ice, and I'm telling ya ... water that cold - like right down there - it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe, you can't think - least not about anything but the pain." He sighed dramatically. "Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you. Like I said, I don't have a choice. I guess I'm kind of hoping you come back over the rail, and get me off the hook here."

"You're crazy!" Rose couldn't believe this stranger was showing such concern for her. No one had ever shown this much concern for her real feelings before, not since her father had died.

"That's what everybody says, but with all due respect, Miss - I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship here." Jack was close to getting her back on the deck. "Come on ... come on, give me your hand. You don't want to do this."

Slowly, Rose reached over and grasped the young man's hand. She felt him squeeze it reassuringly. Slowly, she turned and looked up into the kindest, deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Whew!" Jack's heart finally left his throat and began to beat normally. "I'm Jack Dawson."

"Rose DeWitt Bukater."

"I'm gonna have to get you to write that one down." In spite of her situation, Rose laughed. "Come on." Jack held her hand tightly, and helped Rose back over the railing. As she came over the top rail, the heel of her shoe caught on her dress and she fell, tearing her dress to her thigh, and she and Jack collapsed in a heap on the deck.

"Are you alright?" Jack jumped up and helped Rose to her feet.

"I think so." Rose was so embarrassed. What this man must be thinking of her. She didn't know what to say to him, and she silently watched as he pulled on his boots and coat.

"So ... Rose?"

"Yes?"

"Can I walk you back to your room?" Jack took a good look at this girl. She was beautiful, but the sadness in her eyes was overwhelming. What he had said before was true - he couldn't walk away, he was too involved now.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Dawson." Rose began to shiver in the cold night air. Jack removed his coat again and placed it gently on her shoulders. Rose silently led the way to her stateroom, and as they entered First Class, Jack tried to hide his amazement. She led him past the A la Carte Restaurant, past the beautiful glass-domed Grand Staircase, and then along a corridor of stateroom doors, finally reaching her own. Rose was just handing Jack his coat when the door to the sitting room flew open.

"Rose? Rose! Where have you - my God! What's happened to you?" Ruth took one look at Rose's torn gown, disheveled hair and tear-streaked face, saw Jack and assumed the worst. "Steward! Steward!"

"Mother, please!" Rose tried to explain as three stewards come running down the corridor.

"Quickly, fetch someone! My daughter has been assalted by this ... gutter rat!" Ruth turned furiously on Jack. "What made you think you could lay your hands on my daughter?"

Jack desperately looked at Rose.

"Look at me, you filth!" Spat Ruth. The master-at-arms came and placed handcuffs on Jack and was ready to lead him away, when Rose finally got her mother's attention.

"Mother, it was an accident." The master-at-arms waited patiently for Rose's explanation. "It was stupid, really. I was leaning far over to see the ah ... the ah ... propellers of the ship, and I slipped. And I would've gone overboard, but Mr. Dawson here saved me, and almost went over himself."

"Was that the way of it then?" The master-at-arms asked Jack, a skeptical look on his face.

"Yeah, that was pretty much it." Jack lied for Rose, who shot him a pleading look. The master-at-arms unlocked the handcuffs and asking Ruth if she needed anything else, made his leave.

"Well, Mr. Dawson ... I guess my gratitude is in order." Ruth said stiffly.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Dawson. Would you join us for dinner tomorrow evening?" Rose offered, as Ruth looked on in ill-disguised horror.

"Sure, count me in." Jack smiled. "Good night, Rose."

"Good night, Mr. Dawson."


End file.
